Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 55

Thread: Moab being loved to death....

  1. #1

    Moab being loved to death....

    So I received the following email today, I have some opinions but I thought I'd see what you guys thought of this first.... enjoy the read.... post your thoughts....

    Millcreek Canyon is being overrun with tourists. Day after day anywhere from 100-1000 people or more are going into this fragile ecosystem and are creating major negative impacts on it. Your site and others on the internet are doing a great disservice to this canyon, its being loved to death. Not only is it being overrun throughout the year but so is the neighborhood below it. Powerhouse lane is a dead end road, everyday hundreds of cars go up this dead end road to a 33 space parking lot. When full they park illegally along the road ignoring all no parking signs creating a hazardous problem, then they come and park in front of the homes in the neighborhood and illegally on the private property down the street. I have had people park in my driveway and have found people on my front porch seeking shade thinking no one lives there, someone does. You may not be willing to remove Millcreek canyon from your website but if you did it would be greatly appreciated by the residents of Moab who love this canyon and are heartbroken to see whats happened to it. If you aren't willing the least you can do is inform people that they should not park in the neighborhood below nor on the private property and that if the parking lot is full they should come back another time to visit. Moab is being overrun and any help we can get to lessen the blows from tourism is appreciated. Our community is being destroyed by out of control tourism.

    Thank you
    Kiley Miller
    Moab Utah



  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #2
    As a one time resident of Moab who lived just two blocks from Powerhouse Lane, I can definitely sympathize with this poor lady. It's out of control. Especially during peak times like Spring break, Jeep Safari, etc. The tourism is so bad that many of the locals make plans to leave town during those times. (We frequently planned trips to SLC during Jeep Safari just to get the hell out of town and away from the ceaseless throbbing hoards of tourists).

    It really is that bad.

    Not saying you will (or should), but if it was my website I'd get rid of the Mill Creek swimming hole altogether. Tourists don't need to be spoon fed every last morsel until there's nothing left.

    Just my $0.02...
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  4. Likes mcweyen, DiscGo liked this post
  5. #3
    It's a bit of a double edged sword. Without the tourism, Moab would shrink to maybe 20% of it's current size. With all the people coming, they get to keep their jobs, and their nice community, and all the restaurants, and stuff, but they are going to have to deal with overcrowding and, yes, environmental destruction, as a result.

    I'm not sure how to fix it. I first went to Moab in 1993 to go mountain biking. It was a little crowded on Slickrock, but it was easy enough to find some solitude on plenty of other trails. Now, it's a freaking circus on almost every trail. Lots of people. The nice thing is that they are actually building some single track trails rather than making you stick to the old jeep trails and mining roads.

    All that to say, I'm not sure what to say to that email, but I wouldn't go around whining about it to website owners. I'm not sure what that will resolve. Though I suppose it's not unreasonable to ask people not to park illegally on private property or in people's driveways. Seems like a common courtesy thing that some people apparently just don't quite understand.

  6. #4
    I don't think you should remove it. Someone's else will post it on Facebook or some other social media site. I would like to think that the majority of people using the information from your site are responsible and would not park in someone else's driveway. At least put it in the circle of friends if it's not already so you have to pay to see the info. Also add park responsibly and not front of someone's house.

    I can sympathize with this person and would be upset if I live there also. But there is a price to pay when you live next something very popular. You can't expect that it should be just yours because you live next to it. She should just call the cops. If there really is no parking signs on the road, then I'm sure there's a towing company down there that would love to make thousands of dollars a day towing cars from ignorant people. She just needs to inform the towing company.

    I had a friend meet up with me at the old Lowe's on 90th South and park his car there. We went to get lunch and we're gone 45 minutes. When we got back the car was gone. I went to the gas station right there by in hopes that they may have saw something because I thought the car got stolen. They told me it got towed and gave me the card of the towing company. It was $150 to get the car back even though they had it for 1 hour. The longer he waited the more money it was if they kept it overnight it was even more. There was nothing we could do and I was obviously pretty pissed about the situation. And they only accept cash. Pretty damn lucrative business towing cars. There were very small signs on the light poles that said no parking. I did not even see them cuz they were small but they were there. I learned a lesson. Looks for signs.

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

  7. #5
    ^^^This underscores the problem: People don't read signs. And if they do, many folks just don't care.

    Common courtesy is about as common as common sense.


    Although I would follow up my stance with a question: What is the city of Moab doing about the problem? Instead of petitioning websites to remove beta, why not approach the city with her problem in hopes of working out a solution? I know this isn't a problem that's unique to just this lady. It's rampant in many parts of Moab, and the local gov't should be open to working towards a solution.
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  8. Likes ratagonia liked this post
  9. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by rockgremlin View Post
    ^^^This underscores the problem: People don't read signs. And if they do, many folks just don't care.

    Common courtesy is about as common as common sense.


    Although I would follow up my stance with a question: What is the city of Moab doing about the problem? Instead of petitioning websites to remove beta, why not approach the city with her problem in hopes of working out a solution? I know this isn't a problem that's unique to just this lady. It's rampant in many parts of Moab, and the local gov't should be open to working towards a solution.
    I agree the residence need to address the city about the problem. And the city needs to take action and provide parking options. This problem is not unique to Moab. Many popular trailheads have similar issues.

    I just don't think taking the information off one website will help at all with the problem.

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

  10. #7
    If you remove one, where does that snowball effect stop.

  11. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by 2065toyota View Post
    If you remove one, where does that snowball effect stop.

    It's a good question. A different side of the same coin - what to do about the teeming masses? Look at the problems Zion NP is going through. That place is a mess, and nobody knows quite how to fix it. And Moab and Arches are following right in their footsteps.
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  12. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by rockgremlin View Post
    It's a good question. A different side of the same coin - what to do about the teeming masses? Look at the problems Zion NP is going through. That place is a mess, and nobody knows quite how to fix it. And Moab and Arches are following right in their footsteps.

    Partially agree, but also think a lot of people just join in on the complaining bandwagon. Not pointing a finger at you.

    We went to zion again this Saturday and got a completely lazy start. We didn't even leave St. George until 9am. Got to the Zion entrance gate, maybe 5 cars in line in front of us. Got to the tunnel, waited maybe 15 minutes there and drove on through up to North Fork

    We left the cars about 130, went down Englestead, back up Wild Wind and to the cars and drove back to Springdale. We hit Springdale around 9 and the town wasnt even bad at all.

    I know the numbers don't lie, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be

  13. Likes twotimer, TommyBoy liked this post
  14. #10
    So many people know about Millcreek canyon, Powerhouse Lane, or what I knew it as 20 years ago as "Left Hand" swimming hole. You remove it, and those "100-1000 people per day" are posting it on Facebook and Instagram on their visit. Removing it from any amount of websites will do nothing, social media carries the beta on this location now.

    I used to get the same type of complaints about my video a few years ago, saying that the word was getting out because of the internet.



    By the way, click the description in that video for directions

    But I, like alot of older sexier men here, found out about it the old fashioned way by asking the Moab locals personally where we could go cool off on a hot July day 20+ years ago. Hell, blame the Moab locals for letting the cat out of the bag.

    Pretty soon they'll follow the Kanarraville Canyon model and set up a parking permit system with somebody to collect money.

  15. #11
    I was there for 10 days camped up by Klondike. We would hit the swim holes at Mill Creek nearly every day after our rides. It wasn't too crowded...in fact, we were always able to park in the lot near the toilets.

    I would imagine it gets pretty heavy during the holidays/events. I would suggest this lady sucks it up. Try living in the middle of Denver, sweetheart.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  16. #12
    ^^^ Well, she doesn't want to live in the middle of Denver...that's the whole point.
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  17. #13
    Hey Shane, I hope you're on top of that Fairy thing (no pun intended). I think that as the environmentalists complain about their favorite places being overrun, we can just give the unwashed masses more places to visit. That should make the environmentalists happy, no?
    Blog | FB

  18. #14
    Honesty... this ladies entire rant reminds me of someone bitching because they have to have sex on their honeymoon.

    You live in a tourist town, that is extremely rich and prosperous by small town standards, where nearly every dime comes from the tourist industry. Your town has labored hard the past four decades to industrialized tourism and now you are unhappy that the tourists park in front of your home. Maybe you should have considered the consequences of moving to such a town before today.

    On a side note... one of the biggest slams one member of my family can say to another is "stop acting like a tourist".

  19. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by rockgremlin View Post
    ^^^ Well, she doesn't want to live in the middle of Denver...that's the whole point.
    Well yeah, I get it. But the point I made before mentioning Denver is that she should be grateful it's only an occasional inconvenience...and like Shane said, that town is built for visitors.

    Are these tourists parking on a public street? Too bad. Now if they're blocking her driveway then she should call the cops.

    Her "campaign" to make people unaware that her town exists so she can enjoy peace and quiet if futile. Move to Blanding or Hanksville.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  20. Likes rockgremlin liked this post
  21. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Iceaxe View Post
    Maybe you should have considered the consequences of moving to such a town before today.

    Who says she moved there? It's entirely possible that she's a long standing resident who was born and raised there. In which case, she has a valid point.


    Honestly not trying to be a dickhead here. Just advocating for the perspective of someone who may legitimately be the witness to their legacy being converted to a teenage wasteland, trampled by weekend warriors and inconsiderate stoners who don't realize that everything in Moab doesn't exist purely for their entertainment.
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  22. Likes TommyBoy liked this post
  23. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by rockgremlin View Post
    Who says she moved there? It's entirely possible that she's a long standing resident who was born and raised there. In which case, she has a valid point.
    Actually that would be even worse. That would mean she has spent her entire life supporting a town government hell bent on industrializing tourism.

    I can probably identify with her plight as well as anyone. I moved to Draper 35 years ago when it was nothing but a sleepy little farm town. I liked living in a small town with all the amenities of a big city only 30 minutes away. But even 35 years ago I knew the big city would eventually swallow my sleepy little town.

    The writing was on the wall long ago for Moab, anyone watching for a lifetime has had 50 plus years to prepare for this day.

  24. Likes twotimer, rockgremlin liked this post
  25. #18
    Things have changed quite a bit since Edward Abbey was roaming around there.

    I was up on Gold Bar looking down on the town and wonder what it'll look like 20 years from now. I reckon the valley south of town will fill up and they'll build up the slopes of the mountain.

    I went to a Rockies game on Sunday...the ballpark in smack in the middle of downtown. All those formerly empty lots or old warehouses have been or are being replaced by multi-unit condos. They're cramming hundreds of people into a space that'll take you 5 minutes to walk around. They look like hotels.

    Our cities are going to build up. They're getting thicker quicker than they're spreading out...which is funny, 'cuz years ago I assumed that they would bet bigger, not thicker.

    They're building new hotels in Moab, too. Getting close to the river. Once they clean up that dump across the way, I'd bet they'll build up ant colonies there, too.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  26. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by twotimer View Post
    They're building new hotels in Moab, too. Getting close to the river. Once they clean up that dump across the way, I'd bet they'll build up ant colonies there, too.

    It's definitely an attractive plan -- once the tailings are cleaned up, develop that area as it is prime river side real estate.
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  27. #20
    In Today's Zephyr....

    Take it or Leave it: WHY CROWDS, CHAOS, & THE DEATH OF SOLITUDE DON’T MATTER IN THE ‘NEW WEST'

    http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/2...by-jim-stiles/

  28. Likes TommyBoy liked this post

Similar Threads

  1. Products That You Loved That They Quit Making
    By Iceaxe in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 05-23-2015, 04:11 PM
  2. Replies: 9
    Last Post: 11-06-2014, 09:33 PM
  3. [News] Moab - 2nd Rope Swing Death
    By Iceaxe in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 37
    Last Post: 05-20-2013, 01:48 PM
  4. Death in No Man's
    By Iceaxe in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 45
    Last Post: 01-25-2012, 10:53 AM
  5. [Trip Report] Moab: Hells Revenge | Moab Rim
    By IntrepidXJ in forum Offroad 4x4, Side by Side and ATV
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 06-26-2011, 08:52 AM

Visitors found this page by searching for:

Outdoor Forum

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •